Japanese American National Museum369 East First StreetLos Angeles, CA 90012janm.org (213) 625-0414

In 1994, Giant Robot was born with the purpose of documenting and promoting new, up-and-coming, underdog, overlooked, and hybrid Asian and Asian-American popular culture. Fifteen years later, the self-published magazine has not only evolved from a stapled-and-folded zine into a full-color, glossy publication with an international following, but also opened trend-setting shops and influential art galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. To celebrate the magazine’s longevity, energy, and loyal readership, the second Giant Robot Biennale is being hosted by the Japanese American National Museum in Downtown Los Angeles from October 24, 2009 to January 24, 2010. The event will feature several exhibits, including the following:

To provide a visual overview of the Giant Robot aesthetic, publisher Eric Nakamura is curating artwork by individuals who have contributed to shows at Giant Robot’s galleries, been featured in the pages of the magazine, or even contributed cover art. The main hall will include installations by David Choe, James Jean, and Souther Salazar, in addition to Theo Ellsworth, Rob Sato, kozyndan, Stella Lai, Jack Long, Albert Reyes, Jeff Soto, and Deth P. Sun. A second hall will include the contributions of more than 50 others. (A complete list will be made available at http://www.janm.org/exhibits/gr15/home.)

The photography of longtime magazine contributor Ben Clark will also be featured in a retrospective. Clark’s powerful images from past issues will be displayed in a larger, more vibrant print format, accompanied by recollections, explanations, and other ramblings by editor Martin Wong.

The roots of Asian popular culture—the kaiju scene introduced by Godzilla, Gamera, other giant monsters, and the toy industry they spawned—will be paid tribute to by a run of collaborative works made by Japanese indie sculptor and artist Yukinori Dehara, UglyDolls co-creator David Horvath, and Portland, OR-based underground toy legend LeMerde.

In addition, four custom videogames have been developed by the Attract Mode collective in conjunction with some of Giant Robot’s favorite artists. These games were made exclusively for the Game Over/Continue? show at GRSF (March-April, 2009) and will be available for play throughout the exhibition’s stint. The artist and developer pairings include Hellen Jo and Derek Yu, Saelee Oh and Anna Anthropy, Souther Salazar and Petri Purho, J Otto Seibold and Kyle Pulver, and Deth P. Sun and Jonathan “Cactus” Soderstrom.

An opening reception will take place from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, featuring live music and attendance by many of the participating artists and key members of the Giant Robot family.

The show will run from Saturday, October 24, 2009 to Sunday, January 24, 2010. For more information about Giant Robot magazine or The Giant Robot Biennale 2: 15 Years, please contact: